A Dawn of a New Age
by anincandescentwriter
Summary: When a major god starts fading, Olympus is bleak. In order to save themselves and the world, the gods must expose themselves and the rest of the mythical world to the mortals.
1. Prologue

**A/N: So, I have a new story. I have had this in my head for awhile now and I have looked and looked for these stories but I just haven't found many. Anyway, I hope you like it. It isn't very long, but this is just the prologue.**

Prologue

There was an air of tension on Mount Olympus. Something bad was happening. Everyone could tell, but no one knew what. The nature spirits went about their business as briskly as possible, trying not to disturb the gods.

It was the meeting that tipped the people of Olympus off that something was wrong. Zeus had called a meeting two weeks ago, even though it was not a solstice, for every god and goddess, major and minor, to come. And for two weeks they had been locked in the throne room, coming out only occasionally to greet the people and attempt to reassure them. The Muses tried to help. They played uplifting music and put on funny plays, but even they could not keep a happy face on.

As the fourteenth day came to a close, a gong sounded out across Olympus, filling the air; the last few satyrs and naiads who were out, stopped what they were doing and looked at the throne room. The doors flung open and the gods and goddesses stepped out, faces weary looking. They gave a nod to the citizens who were bowing. Athena made her way over to the podium.

As she stood there, her grey eyes analyzing the crowd and blonde hair limp from overexertion, she seemed worried.

"Do not worry." She intoned to the people. "We have concluded the assembly. Tomorrow at ten we will meet here. Go home. Sleep well." With that, she stepped down and walked towards the gods, leaving the few people left to mingle.

As the people gossiped, word spread of the uneasiness at Olympus and by ten the next morning, the quad was filled.

Zeus was tired. They were all tired. He sat in his throne, unmoving, trying to think a way out of what they were going to do. It was just madness. There was no guarantee that the humans would believe and if they did, there was a big mess of politics. New laws would have to be made, trust was going to be broken, and insecurities would arise. But if it did work, then the whole world would be saved.

Hestia was fading. The goddess of the hearth and home woke up to see herself fading, ever so slightly. She contacted Zeus right away and then Athena was contacted. All three agreed something had to be done. If Hestia faded, then the rest of the gods would fade. She was the glue that held everyone together.

It had been difficult. The decision had to include everyone, not just the major gods, Athena had said. So Zeus had called for everyone. And the two weeks had been filled with much arguing and debating. Having so many forces of power had been almost too much for Zeus and he was ready for it to all be over.

"Do you think we are making the right decision?" He asked Athena. She had come in quietly, trying to not disturb her father.

"It is the wisest decision." She said diplomatically.

"But is it for the best?" He asked, desperately. Athena hesitated.

"I do not know. Apollo has tried to see the future as best as possible, but even he has his limitations. Humanity is so unpredictable at times."

"But if we do not do this, then Hestia will most definitely fade, correct?"

"Yes. And then we fade, and the whole world we collapse on itself."

"So then we must do this." Zeus said with conviction.

Poseidon observed the congregation on the quad. It was nearing ten, and their citizens had packed themselves closely on the field. There was one of every species, if not more, waiting to take the news back. He saw Chiron, the centaur, standing next to the new Lord of the Wild, Grover. Poseidon smiled. He remembered when the satyr was insecure, and trying to help Percy, Poseidon's son, to safety.

_It's going to be hard on them._ Poseidon thought. The demigods were sure to get heckled or experience some kind of new hardship with this change. _Not that their lives weren't hard enough._ Seeing Zeus walk to the podium, Poseidon stood. Normally they would have conducted business in the throne room, but with the seriousness of the situation coupled with the fact that the immortals were tired of the room, the congregation was outside.

"Satyrs, centaurs, nature spirits, Muses, naiads, and the many others of you here, I need to inform you of a grave matter." _Oh Zeus_. Poseidon thought, shaking his head. _You were always one for theatrics._ "The Lady Hestia is fading." Zeus paused for the collective gasp that escaped the quad before continuing. "And we need to stop it. After much debating and deliberating, the other gods and goddesses have come to a plan of action." Poseidon looked out of the quad. The people were forlorn, confused, a few were even angry. _I don't blame them._ Poseidon thought. They had only recently finished the war with the Titans. Percy had saved them all, but two months wasn't enough to recover from the losses.

"We have decided to tell the mortal world of our existence." Zeus said, rather bluntly. Poseidon's eyes hardened as he tried to remain imposing but still reassuring. Chiron's tail had been swishing back and forth but now it remained still, Poseidon observed. Grover looked as if he had forgotten how to close his mouth.

"I know that it is a rather monumental decision, but for the world's sake, we much do this. Tomorrow, Athena, Poseidon, and I will make our statement to the mortals. From there, we will deal with the problems that arise. Much of our plan depends on the various actions you take and the actions the mortals take. I know this is much to take in, but I will not back out. Questions?" Once Zeus had finished talking, there was a surge in volume. It was as if everyone had hit play at the same time.

"What will you do about the mist?" A naiad had asked.

"For now, it remains. If there is a problem with believability, then it will be swept away." Zeus answered coolly, indifferent.

"Why must we tell the mortals? I quite like them not knowing." A hunter of Artemis asked. They were there to support Artemis. It was not Thalia. She was standing quietly in the back, slightly stunned.

"It is the only way to stop Hestia from fading. She needs to be believed in again. For too long, she had been ignored, by the mortal world…" Here Zeus closed his eyes and paused, as if he was going to say something painful. "By us. And if she were to fade, we would all fade, and the world will die. Last question." Poseidon looked out at the sea of people, all who had questions written on their faces, but there was not enough time to answer them all. He locked eyes with Grover and nodded at Zeus to pick him.

"What of the demigods? What will they do?" That made Poseidon smile. Grover was loyal to his friends.

"They will do what we all have to do: figure it out. Live day to day. That is all I have time for today. If you have more questions, leave them with Hermes' helpers. He is going to be busy today." Zeus finished speaking and stepped off the podium.

"I must go make sure Hermes is sending the letters." Zeus said to Poseidon. "Stay here to keep the peace." Poseidon nodded. With a flash of light, he was gone.

"Where is Lord Zeus going?" Grover asked.

"Yeah, that's what I want to know. I was going to talk to him." A girl wearing a black shirt and tiara on her head said.

"Thalia!" Grover exclaimed.

"Yeah. It's me." She looked worried. Despite everything going on, Poseidon was amused by them.

"Zeus went to go see Hermes. We are sending letters to all the demigods. They need to know." Thalia looked as if she wanted to say something, but was worried of offending Poseidon. _She is just slightly more restrained than Percy. He would have blurted it out way before now._

Thalia was unable to stay silent any longer. "My father did not explain very well. What will demigods do? It will be different for us. We aren't all mythical, like you or goat boy here, but we aren't completely human. People will see us as the different ones. We will be the ones treated differently." Poseidon looked kindly at her, but with a troubled expression.

"I know. I am very sorry to put you guys in this position. But it will be up your own discretion about letting friends know who you are." Poseidon was pained to say this. He did not want Percy going through that. He knew that Percy had difficulties in schools. And he was finally fitting in at Goode High and now there was another obstacle in his life again.

"Excuse me Lord. I am going to go and see Percy. He should hear it from me." Grover said, walking away.

"I should get back the hunters as well. Thank you for talking to us." Thalia said.

"You are welcome. Good luck." Poseidon said.

"Thanks. We are going to need it."

**A/N: Alrighty, I know it was a bit choppy. I am sorry about that, but I had to cram a lot of information in a small chapter. I didn't want to drag it out because that would have been boring. And Percy will be in the next chapter. **

**Anyway. Let me know what you thought. It is unedited because it is late where I live. And I really need to get to bed. I have school in the morning. Ugh. I hope you like it. And I like reviews. So please review  
**


	2. The Black Plague Turns Greek

**A/N: You guys don't know how excited I am for this fic. And it seems like a few of you are too. Anyways, thank you so much for the reviews. And I did get one asking if this was going to be a Percy/Hestia story, and I am sorry, but it is not. It was never the plan, but I hope that doesn't stop you guys from reading.**

**Disclaimer:(Because I forgot to do one last chapter)-I do not own Percy Jackson. I will never own Percy Jackson. **

I woke up with a feeling of despair and it wasn't just because I had a math test today. No it was because today was the day everything was going to change. Grover came by yesterday to tell me about the situation on Olympus-with Hestia fading, the world ending, blah, blah, blah, the normal stuff, until Grover hit me a sledgehammer. Not literally, but what he had said had me reeling. The gods were going to expose the mythical world to the mortal world, my world, today, and there was no stopping them. I suppose though, if I had to choose, I would rather my mortal friends find out than the whole world go ka-boom.

I dressed quickly and grabbed by ball point pen, which actually was a lethal weapon called Riptide, and walked to the kitchen. My mom and Paul Blofis, my stepdad, were already there with tense expressions, watching the news.

"Percy!" My mom jumped, startled. "Do you want some breakfast?" She started fiddling around the kitchen, mumbling under her breath, like she does when she is nervous. Paul, who just sat there eating toast, smiled at me.

"Mom. It's fine. I think I am old enough to make myself cereal." I said, stopping her.

"I know. Sorry Percy." She apologized.

"I said it was fine."

"Why do the crazy things always happen around you? The war just ended. Must there be more?" I winced. The war was a sore spot for me. Only a few months ago I handed Annabeths' dagger to Luke. So many campers and satyrs, and nature spirits died.

"It's for the best." I told her.

"Is it really though?" She asked. Just as I was about to answer, Paul called out.

"Sally. Percy. The news is starting." I grabbed cereal and slid onto a chair, like a person would do in a movie. I had to admit, I was curious as to how the big reveal was going to go. How are the gods even going to get people to believe? I was thinking back to when I was first told about the gods. I took me forever to believe and even then I only believed because I almost died. Is the whole world going to have to go through a near death experience?

The noise of the TV brought me out of my thoughts and I saw the news lady talking. She talked about normal, everyday things. And just when I thought she was going to say the news that I had been anxiously awaiting, she moved on, speaking of more normal, everyday things. And before I knew it, I was heading out the door with Paul. I had to get to school and so did Paul.

I know what you are thinking. _Wow? Really? You go to school with your stepdad? That is so uncool. I can't believe a high schooler would even think about doing that? _Well, too bad. I do. We can't afford another car right now and it beats walking to school or waiting to catch the subway.

At school, it was as if nothing had happened. And maybe it hadn't. I went from class to class, like a zombie, which wasn't all that different from how I normally was at school. It wasn't until after lunch, when I was in my history class, that I heard something.

Mr. Baker was the in the middle of a discussion about the Black Death, when a phone went off in class. It was Kevins', a classmate of mine. He was known for not being the most organized person in whole world, not that I had room to talk, but even he should have been able to keep his phone on silent. With a disappointed look from Mr. Baker, Kevin went to go turn off his phone and hand it in, when Kevin looked at the message he got.

The longer he stared at it, the closer I felt to throwing up. I knew that it was a text from his mom, or dad, or someone who was watching the news, because he had a disbelieving look on his face.

"Kevin? Do you mind telling me what is so enthralling about your phone?" Mr. Baker asked. I don't mind Mr. Baker. As far as teachers go, he was pretty cool. He liked to lead discussions where anybody could join in, and he always wore a long coat, no matter what the weather was. If it was raining, he had on the coat. If it was 95 degrees and counting, he wore the coat. I actually thought he was a monster at the beginning of the school year because of the coat, but it turns out he just really likes to wear it.

"Um…" Kevin said. "There are a few wackos pretending that they are Greek gods and that there is a whole civilization that we apparently forgot about, living with us. Or at least that is what my older brother says." The whole class started snickering. I was reminded of the time Annabeth and I went to the zoo and the llama spit in my face. Annabeth wouldn't stop laughing.

Mr. Baker raised an eyebrow. "Does he now? Where is he getting this information from?" There was a moment of silence while Kevin sent the message and got one back.

"He says that it is on the news."

"Hmm. Guess we need to check this out." He walked over to the computer and turned the projector on. As the picture came to life, a news story greeted us. Mr. Baker read it outloud.

**Fact or Fiction? **

**Just recently, three people have stepped forward, claiming to be Zeus, Poseidon, and Athena, three Greek gods. Now, people know this to be fiction, myths that the ancient Greek people came up with, to explain the scientific world. However, these people claim that not only were the Greeks correct in their stories, but the gods have survived through the millennia's, watching over the 'mortals'(their name for humanity). In a show of power, the one claiming to be Poseidon created a small tidal wave. Zeus struck lightening, and Athena was asked a series of questions where she knew the answer before the question was asked. But this begs the question, are these people the real deal and we are living with gods or are they phony's and this is all one big display of special effects?**

I was slightly disappointed that the big reveal was so un-dramatic. I was hoping for big fireworks and explosions and something that the world would be unable to ignore.

"So, what do you guys think? Fact or fiction?" Mr. Baker asked us. I looked around the room at my classmates. Most were disbelieving but a few had a look of 'maybe they aren't crazy'.

"Why would someone even claim this was true?" A girl named Karissa called out.

"Good question." Mr. Baker said. "Perhaps it has to do with attention. They could be deluded. Or they could be telling the truth."

"How would it be the truth though?" Drew, a friend of mine, asked. "They are just myths." I smiled. I once thought that, until Chiron told me that one day, I might be considered a myth.

"Ah. That is the real question. Were they just myths?" Mr. Baker said.

"Are you saying that the crazy people are telling the truth?" Emma, a girl known for her loud mouth, asked.

"No. I am merely saying that we need to consider all the facts." Mr. Baker said calmly. "Look at it this way. How many different religions are there in the world?" He looked across the room, waiting for answer.

"There are many." I called out. I was surprised at myself. I wanted to stay out of the conversation as much as possible. If the Greek world became accepted, then I would have to make a choice. And I wasn't sure if I ready for that or not.

"Exactly, Percy." Mr. Baker said. "There are so many different religions in the world. Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhist, and countless others. I could go on all day. What I am trying to say is, how do you know which one is real? And who are we to condemn those who don't follow the religion we choose to believe in? Are you understanding me?" He asked the class.

I was liking what he was saying. As an older camper, I met a lot of demigods who were just introduced to their new, death defying lives, and many of them were confused when I first talked to them. It was a lot of _But this is impossible. _And, _how can this be? My dad isn't cool enough to have met a goddess._ And a lot of them struggle with their own belief system and how to live with having two religions in their lives.

"Okay. So say the ancient Greek were right? Does that mean there more mythological creatures? Because there weren't just gods in the stories." Karissa said.

"Yeah. Do you remember reading _The Odyssey_ freshman year?" Blake said. "It was full of monsters, like Cyclopes, and those lotus eating people things." I shuddered. Let me tell you, as cool as the book sounds, living it is _not _fun.

"That is true." Mr. Baker said. "Who knows? What do you guys think? Is there any truth to what has been claimed?"

"I don't know if it is true, but I think it would be awesome if it were true." Drew called out. "I mean, the heroes seem to be pretty badass in some of them. Like Hercules and Perceus and Theseus." I snorted.

"Do you have an opinion, Percy?" Mr. Baker asked me. Blushing, I tried to cover.

"Oh. Um…didn't they almost die, like, a bajillion times?" I said.

"They did." Mr. Baker said. "But they were also demigods, children of the gods. They were sort of special. It is seen throughout literature that their lives were harder. They were at times, pawns of the gods." _Don't I know it, _I thought.

"I still think it would be cool." Drew said.

"Okay, that's about all the time we have for today. Go home and look up some stuff about this at home. After we finish our discussion on the Black Plague, we can talk about current events." Mr. Baker shouted to us, as the bell rang and we walked out the door.

**A/N: I hope you guys like it. I am super nervous about this chapter because Percy has such a unique voice. I wanted to have this up yesterday, but I severely underestimated how much homework I had. Hope you guys enjoyed it. **


	3. My New Friends Grow Curious

**A/N: I am so, so, so sorry. My computer broke two weeks ago and I haven't been able to get it fixed. As a result, I have been writing this in between classes and finally have it finished. Because of that though, this is not my best work. So, I apologize for that. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson, nor will I ever own it. **

I was jumpy for the rest of the day. I half expected a monster to jump out at me and shout "Boo". But that was ridiculous. Monsters don't say 'boo'. They say 'Rawh. I am going to eat you.' After school Drew, Evan, and I went to the skate park. We stopped by my apartment so I could grab my skateboard, but then we were on our way.

I met Drew on my first day at Goode High School. I was just a freshman, but I already had a reputation. Even though I had been declared innocent, I was still the 'crazy boy who got accused of blowing up the school'. Some people thought it was pretty awesome, others not so much. They had been warned to stay away from the 'weirdo'. Anyway, on my first day, I got bombarded with a bunch of people asking me questions about what happened at freshman orientation. I was unable to escape them. They were like a pack of piranhas, swarming all over me. Well, maybe not exactly, but the point is clear. It ended up that Drew saved me. He directed their attention over to something shiny and the piranhas left me alone. We have been friends ever since.

Evan is my other friend. He is a bit different. He is shy and quiet, the complete opposite of me. We met in English class my freshman year. The teacher assigned us a group project and our groups. Since it was our freshman year, the teacher was kind enough to put Drew and me in a group together and since we needed a third person, Evan became that person. At first he was hard to talk to too, but eventually he opened up. And now the three of us were friends.

As we walked to the park, Evan started talking about his family. He constantly worried about his younger sister and brother. Evan had a different childhood. Instead of staying in one place, his family constantly moved around because of his father's job, who worked with a security company. His dad finally got a job high up in the company, working at the Empire State Building, ironically, and now his family was staying put, for now. It still worried Evan though, that his brother and sister may be uprooted, just as they were making friends.

"They will be fine." Drew said. He never said to stop worrying. It wasn't in Evan to stop taking responsibilities that he had no business taking. And besides, Drew knew that family was complicated too. Drew's mom and dad are constantly fighting, on the edge of divorce. His older brother, Jacob, left a year ago to go fight in Afghanistan, leaving Drew to himself. "Hey, did you hear about the crazy people in the news?"

Evan shook his head.

"Well, there are a bunch of people running around saying that they are Greek gods and goddesses, and that the mythical world is living around us." Drew said animatedly. Evan looked skeptical.

"I don't see how that can be true." He said. "What proof is there?"

"They performed some of their 'powers' in an interview."

"But does that make them real? It is most likely some sort of special effect." That was Evan, the ever so serious man. We were nearing the park. It wasn't far from my apartment, but it still took some time to ride there.

"I don't know. What do you think, Percy?" Drew said.

"Hm? Oh, I don't know. I guess we just need to wait and see what else happens." I said. I was getting caught in a hard place. As the mortal world became more aware and accepting of the ancient Greek world, then demigods and all the mythical creatures would have to make a choice. My friends would want to know and I don't know if I could tell them. They were the normal people in my messed up life.

"Yeah. I guess we do." Drew said. "I think it would be really cool if they ended up being true. I mean, imagine it. Monsters and sword fighting and adventure and really cool powers." That was Drew. Always looking for the next adventure.

"You realize though that we would be dead, right?" Evan said. "If monsters are real, then where are we going to get a sword to defend ourselves? Who is going to teach us to sword fight?" I fingered my pen casually. I could easily get them weapons and teach them. But that would mean revealing myself, but if it came down to it, I would rather my friends be safe, than my secret safe.

"But seriously," Drew said, ignoring Evans last remark, "what else is out there? What others creatures do we live with?" Evan shrugged and I said nothing. We were quiet for a moment, and then Evan's phone rang. The shrill tone blared out of his pocket and I jumped. He answered quickly and then hung up.

"That was my mom. She wants me home soon." He said. Drew snorted.

"That's the beauty of cellphones. Mothers can call you home whenever they feel like it." He said sarcastically. "Percy, you are lucky. You don't have a cell phone for your mom to call you with. I swear though, you are the only sixteen year old in the world without one." Nope, I thought. Not the only one. Others like me don't have one. You see, cell phones are dangerous for a demigod. They send up a signal that is like a honing beacon for monsters. So unless I feel like being monster chow, then I don't use one. Not all demigods follow this rule though. Like Annabeth for example. She has one, but only for emergencies.

"Yeah, well. Cell phones aren't for me. They break as soon as I even hold one." I said.

"I even find that a little weird though." Evan said. "Sometimes, it is like you don't trust us. I mean, you won't even tell us where you were this past summer." I winced. Of course I couldn't tell them. They would have had me committed to a mental institution. But now, I don't know what they would think.

"I told you," I started. "I was out of the state."

"Yeah. But where? And doing what?" Drew said. "All we know is that you left this summer with no contact and when you came back you had a strange look in your eyes and a girlfriend." Drew was a lot more observant than people gave in credit for. I had tried to act normal, but this summer was gruesome and it was going to take a long time to heal from.

"Speaking of your girlfriend, are we ever going to get to meet her?" Evan asked.

"Maybe. Depends on what we do next time I see her." I told them. We fell into a silence. It wasn't exactly quiet, with all of the traffic going on around us, but we weren't talking. We reached the park and skated around for a while but that grew boring after some time and Evan had to leave.

We all went our separate ways, going back home. The city sounds welcomed me. I didn't take them for granted anymore. When New York had been our battle ground and everybody was sleeping, there were no sounds. It was eerily quiet, creating a feeling of suspense. And now they are back again. Drew and Evan have no idea what happened this summer. They don't know of the chaotic war my friends and I fought in or the people I lost. And it should stay this way.

I opened my apartment door, calling out to my mom, but I was immediately attacked with a hug.

"Annabeth." I said, grunting a little as she squeezed me. "What are you doing here?" I took a look at her. Her blonde hair was loose around her head, not up in a ponytail like at camp, and she was wearing a while polo shirt, that had the logo of her school.

"I came to see you, seaweed brain." She said with a smile. I gave her a smile, but it slowly slid off my face.

"This is about Olympus, right?" I asked her. She took a deep breath, turning to me.

"Yes." Her gray eyes were a million miles away, calculating possible scenarios.

"Did Grover come tell you?" I asked.

"No. I got a letter from Hermes." She said distractedly. "The letter said that we shouldn't worry and that everything was going to work out, but I don't know. It doesn't seem to be the way the world works. Nothing is ever simple."

"So, you came here to rant to me?" I asked. She smiled.

"Yes. Well, no. I also wanted to see you."

"Do you think that people will believe? What will happen if they do?"

"Percy! One question at a time. And I don't know. Is this how you feel all the time?" She asked. I feigned a hurt look.

"I'm not that stupid." She gave me a look. "Well, I guess I could pay attention in school more." I honestly tried in school, but when the letters swim off the page, I get frustrated easily. And then trying to pay attention is a nightmare with the ADHD. I might have annoyed some people because I keep drumming my fingers on the desk, even though I have no musical talent.

"Those are good questions though." Annabeth said. "I wish we could go to Olympus and talk to our parents. They would tell us how bad it is." I didn't want to hurt Annabeth's feelings, but I don't think Poseidon or Athena would have told us anything.

"Yeah. Maybe." I said. We were silent for a moment, before Annabeth spoke up.

"Oh, and I heard from a few people at camp. Clarisse, Travis, and Connor said that they would go around to schools, telling people about themselves, in order to convince people." I was surprised. I didn't think Clarisse would ever step foot into a school, let alone volunteer to go to one.

"That's weird." I said. Annabeth laughed.

"You are weird, seaweed brain."

**A/N: So, that was it. Sorry for the bad quality and late update. And I made a Twitter account, just so I don't have to use an Author's note again. So, if you care enough to follow me, check it out.** **It is below.**

** incandwriter**


	4. We Discuss My Personal Life

**A/N: I know, I know. This is really late and I am really sorry, but I had some bad news come by way and this got put on the backside. However, finals are here, which means we all need something to get us through. So, here it is. Enjoy. Oh, and if you care, I made a Twitter so you can follow me at incandwriter. **

Dreams suck. They are the worst. I mean it. Last night, after Annabeth left, I quickly fell asleep, but it wasn't peaceful. I was suddenly on Olympus. I was in the throne room, which looked a lot better than the last time I was there. Annabeth's designs have been coming along great.

I wasn't the only one in the room though. Zeus was sitting on his throne, while Hestia sat in a comfortable looking chair. Hestia still didn't have a throne. She looked awful. Normally, she appeared as a nine year old, because that is what she preferred, but now she looked as if she could be somebody's grandma. Her skin was drooping off her body and she had a see through look to her. Her hair was gray and fragile looking. She looked sick.

"It's getting worse." I could hear her say to Zeus. He looked troubled.

"I know. There is not much we can do now." There was an unspoken conversation between them, I could tell.

"The hearth…it is so cold." Her voice was bleak but her eyes held a different story. They were old, but still had a glimmer of hope. I would know. The jar I had given her, Pandora's Box, hadn't been opened yet, so hope was still here.

"There has to be another way to fix this." Zeus muttered in Greek.

"The mortals can only believe." Hestia said. "And we have to believe in them."

"Believe in them?" Zeus said, like it was an unheard concept.

"Yes. If we don't believe in them, how can we expect them to believe in us? Don't you see? It is a circle." Hestia said strongly, some color returning to her briefly, before fading again.

"How did this happen?" Zeus asked. I had never seen his this subdued before. Then again, I had only ever seen Zeus right before battle.

"People…they just stopped believing. Home has slowly become less and less important to mortals. They have such busy lives nowadays, and home slowly became just a place to sleep. It became nothing. And then a thread just snapped." Hestia described.

"Is that what it feels like?" Zeus asked. Before Hestia replied, I was suddenly pulled out of the dream by a loud, annoying beeping sound. With my eyes closed, I reached for my pen, before realizing it was just my alarm clock. I got up, trying to shake the dream from my mind.

School was torture today. The hours dragged by when all I wanted was to go home and sleep for a million years. There are times when the Achilles Curse just isn't worth it.

Of course, lunch flew by and then it was time for history. Evan wasn't in this class with Drew and me, so we had to go separate ways. As we walked there Drew asked me if I thought we were going to even be on topic today or if we were only going to talk about the crazy Greeks. I told him that I didn't know.

"Why are you so interested in this anyways?" I asked him. He looked down for a moment, before answering.

"I don't know." He admitted, but he seemed as if he was holding back. We slid into our seats just as the bell rang. We were the last ones in class, with Mr. Baker sitting at his desk. Even though the bell rang, he continued to ignore us, not saying anything. After a moment, the whispers started.

"What is he doing?" I heard Kevin whisper in an over exaggerated way.

"I don't know." Emma, the loud mouth, said. Drew and I exchanged shrugs. I wasn't complaining. At least nothing was trying to kill me. I was sure Mr. Baker had a reason for doing this. My time with Chiron had taught me that a teacher does everything for a reason. It might not seem like it, but they do. We just had to be patient. The problem though, is that patience has never been one of my strong suits.

We must have been sitting for ten minutes with Mr. Baker doing nothing. Conversations had started up, games were being played, but none of us said anything to Mr. Baker. When the loudness had increased, Mr. Baker finally got up out of his chair.

"Good afternoon. How was lunch?" He asked conversationally, as if the last ten minutes had never happened. The talking died out and Kevin was staring wide eyed at our teacher.

"It is school food. What do expect?" He said.

"Good point." Mr. Baker mused. "Anyway. On to what we were talking about yesterday. The Black Death. The Bubonic Plague. Scary stuff, right? Did we get to the repercussions of the death toll and how it affected Europe?" He went on to start class how he normally would. It was weird. Even Chiron had never done this to me before.

"Percy." Mr. Baker said, making me jump. I was halfway to grabbing my pen, when I realized that I was in class. "Do you have anything you wish to say?" I gave him a confused look. Where had he gotten the idea that I had wanted to say anything.

"Uh…no sir." I said.

"Hm." He mused. "Are you sure?" He raised his eyebrow at me, as if trying to communicate with me. I didn't know what he wanted. I shook my head.

"Well, I would have thought somebody wanted to say something to me. Anyone? Anything anybody wants to say to me?" We all stared at him, uncomprehending what he was trying to get at. He gave a sad sigh, like he was disappointed in us.

"And that is my point." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"What exactly is your point?" Drew called out.

"People don't like to confront other people about issues." We all stared at him, me especially. I know a few people, *cough*Clarisse*cough*, who like to confront people. They have no fear in that.

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked. "Are you saying that we are cowards?"

"Now you are getting it." Mr. Baker smiled in victory. "Yes. That is exactly what I am saying. Everybody in this room is a coward, me included." I thought about that. Was I a coward? I didn't think I was, but it this wouldn't be the first time I was called one.

"When class started and I ignored you, what did you do? You ignored me back. That is the way it is supposed to be. You go around life, ignoring the things you aren't supposed to know. But then you could see me and then you realized it was abnormal behavior. And so you gossiped. But you never confronted me. Not once. Even when I got up and started class, none of you asked why I was quiet for so long." I stared at him. It was something that a child of Athena would do. And then I began to wonder about my teacher. Who was he? Obviously he wasn't a monster, but there were other mythical creatures out there.

"Yes. But what does this have to do with the Black Death?" Drew called out.

"Ah yes. Well, we have finished the notes for that. Now, we are talking about current events." Mr. Baker said. "So what does this have to do with current events? Yesterday we were told that the Greek gods and goddesses still exist. And I told you to go home and look up information about them. Now, be honest. Who did that?" Unsurprisingly, only a few hands went up, but one of them was Drew's hand. "See this is what I mean. You get some shocking news and what do you do? You ignore it. Is that what you are going to do? Are you going to ignore these so called Greek gods? Because even if they turn out to be fakes, their story on why they even attempted this is fascinating. So, tell me. What do you know about the Greek Myths? Yesterday I believe we left of on demigods?" He raised an eyebrow at us.

"Well, demigods are said to be half mortal and half god." Drew called out nervously. Now, normally Drew only made sarcastic comments or when he felt as if he had to share his opinion, so I knew to be looking for the apocalypse when he answered a real question in a non-sarcastic way.

"Right. And what made them special?" Mr. Baker called out. Drew just shrugged. When no one said anything, Mr. Baker sighed. "See. You are ignoring. Demigods supposedly had some of gifts given to them by their godly parents, such as control over the domain their parent has. What else is there? Can you guys think of anything?"

"Weren't they, like, hunted?" Amber said.

"Yes. They were. By monsters and gods alike, all who wanted to kill them. They were trained in the art of combat so they had some way of protecting themselves. They were better than the average swordsman, just a step below the actual gods. So my question for you is, Do you want these people to be real or to be crazy?" Drew's hand was first in the air.

"They should be real. It would make things a lot easier to explain, because even scientists don't have all the explanations these days. Like that weird storm this past summer. Where did that come from? The weathermen have no idea. It could have been the gods. Or...or...something like that. It would make things a lot easier to blame." My stomach turned nervously as Drew talked. He was spot on. It was the gods, but it was also so much worse than them.

"I don't want them to be real." Wyatt said. "Think about it. If the gods are real, then we are living with monsters. And if we are living with monsters, then we have a potential to die everyday. And I don't like those odds." There was a small noise in the back of the class. I turned to look for the person who made it. There was girl in the back, who looked annoyed.

"Yeah, but you get in a car everyday and that is a possible cause for injury or death. You go skateboarding. You could kill yourself that way. You already have a death sentence just by being alive." The whole class was staring at her with mouths wide open. Her name is Megan, who never speaks. She hasn't said one thing in class all year.

"Oh, really. Does that mean you wish to die today?" Wyatt spat. Megan's eyes looked down, as if she was hiding something.

"No. I don't have a death wish. I am merely stating a fact. If we are going to die one day, what does it matter if monsters live among us? Is it because they are different from the monsters we are used to? We will eventually get used to them. So why does it matter?" I felt smiled. Wyatt wasn't the nicest person in school. He was mean in a subtle way, thinking he ruled the place. It felt good to for him to be put in his place, even if I wasn't the one doing so.

"There isn't only monsters to be worried about. I bet that these gods are stuck up, thinking they are better than everyone else. They will want to rule the world. And I don't think we should let that happen!" There was thunder in the distance. Zeus was upset. From what I saw in my dream, he wasn't wanting to be lenient with anything today.

"See, maybe they are real." Drew said, in reply to the thunder. I saw Wyatt swallow nervously.

"No. That doesn't mean anything. It is just a dream." But he didn't look convinced. I glanced up at the clock. We only had three minutes left in class.

"Okay. Well, I think this has been interesting." Mr. Baker said. "I hope you think about this tonight. Remember to look around you. Don't be ignorant." The bell rang and as I stood up, I saw Mr. Baker motion for Megan to stay. I hurried outside, not wanting to eavesdrop.

"Hey. Wait up." Drew called to me. "What do you think Mr. Baker is talking to Megan about?"

"I don't know. Does it matter?" I was in an agitated mood. I haven't come across a monster in a while, and talking about them in class today was making me paranoid.

"No. I guess not." Drew said. We walked in awkward silence. "Where are you going?" I didn't realize it, but I wasn't going to my next class. I was heading towards the door.

"I don't know. Hell?" I said. It was the truth. I didn't know where I was going and for I know, I could be heading toward the Underworld. "Cover for me?"

"Sure. You going to tell me what is going on?" I looked out at the street. I didn't know what to tell him. Just like Megan said, everyone had a possibility of dying today. Unfortunately for me, I just had a higher probability. Everywhere I went, no matter what I did, I could get killed. At least my camp friends understand that. As much as I liked being around my mortal friends, there was that thought of 'Guess what day it is? Guess what day it is? It's your death dayyyy. Yeah!' And I didn't want my friends to be hurt if that happened.

"Maybe. We'll see." I turned back and said to Drew. He nodded. And I walked into the day.

**A/N: And there it is. And I think my writing was influenced by the fact that today is Wednesday. It wasn't my most favorite chapter, but expect a monster and a Percy Jackson character next chapter. Good luck on finals!**


	5. I Meet a Paradox

**A/N: Finals are over! I am so happy for that! No more studying for a whole 16 days! Anyway, because of finals my creativity is low at the moment, but I wanted to put something up before the holidays, because I will be leaving and will unable to write anything. So, the chapter is really short and I am sorry about that. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. It belongs to Rick Riordan. **

I found myself walking in the direction of the East River. Why? I don't know. All I know is that I didn't make it there. I was just moving without thinking because my brain had a different conversation going on. I really wanted to talk to Chiron but my drachmas were back home and I didn't have a car to go drive to Camp. Anyway, I was just walking along when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. Spinning over my shoulder with lightning speed, I raised my sword just in time to stop claws from raking my back.

I saw a big round ball of red fur as I dodged the next swipe and slashed at the claws. But before I could even get close, the fur vanished. I stumbled forward at the thin air and looked around. My adrenaline kicked in and I could feel my heart racing. Monsters don't normally disappear. So, where did the fur ball go? Thankfully the street was relatively empty, but the few who were around, stared at me strangely. I caught a glimpse of something red bounding down the street.

"Nothing to see here!" I shouted at the people, before sprinting off.

As I ran, I became confused. The fur ball was literally just in front of me and now it isn't. It disappeared. Again. Why was it doing this? Where was it going? I turned in a circle, sword out, ready to attack, and then I saw it again. We played this game for, I don't know how long, and every time I got close to capturing and killing the monster, it disappeared. It wasn't until the fourth or fifth time that I saw something else. A beautiful, brown colored dog went near the fur ball and almost caught it. That was when I saw the fur ball wasn't exactly a fur ball. It was a fox. I came closed to the dog and fox, and then stopped. The fox had disappeared again and the dog disappeared after it. I turned back towards home. I was done chasing the monsters. There was no point.

A memory tugged at my brain. It was a few summers ago at camp, after visiting the Sea of Monsters, and Annabeth was still teaching me myths. "There was one," she said, "that was paradoxically impossible. The Teumessian Fox, fated to never be caught, was being hunted by the dog, Laelops, who was destined to catch everything. They were stuck in this perpetual game of cat and mouse. Tired of the game, Zeus turned them to stone and cast them into the stars."

"Forever?" I asked Annabeth.

"Forever." She agreed. "They are impossible together. A conundrum that can never be solved. And as you know, it is not in Zeus' personality to allow this."

So, if the fox and dog were supposed to be forever in the sky, why are they back on earth?

I trudged home, drenched in sweat.

"Percy?" my mom called. "Is that you?" I grumbled a yes and went to see her. Her brown hair was no longer long. She cut it a few months ago, right after the Titan War. She said that change was good. Out with the old, in with the new. She also quit her job at the candy store. She is working at the bookstore now, slowly working her way up the social ladder. She is hoping this will help her meet publishers so she can send in her own books.

"So, I heard you skipped the last hour of school." My mom said. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Yeah. I just needed to breathe. Mr. Baker wanted to talk about the gods today." Mom gave me a small smile.

"I thought you would love that."

"Yeah, but, it's complicated."

"You would rather just be known as Percy, instead of Percy the demigod?" My mom asked.

"Yeah. Exactly like that." I didn't want to tell her about the impossible fox and dog just yet. I wasn't sure if it was something to be worried about yet, and I didn't want her to have the extra stress.

"Okay. Well go get cleaned up. When Paul gets home, we are going to have dinner."

###

A month passed before I told anyone about the Fox and the Dog. In all actuality, I forgot about them. I was busy dodging Drew's questions and Evan's quizzical stares. The more the world accepted the gods, the more questioning my friends became. I knew that I would have to tell them soon, but I wasn't ready yet.

In the month that passed, the mortals started believing in the Greek myths. There were conferences and meetings and they finally began to accept the new world around them. Unfortunately, there were still many unanswered questions and my flimsy excuses to Drew and Evan weren't holding up anymore.

"Percy!" Drew called me over when I entered school. He and Evan were talking by their lockers, waiting for the bell for class to ring. I walked over slowly, not wanting to rush over.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing much." Evan said.

"My brother was supposed to be coming home this week." Drew said. Drew's brother was over in Afghanistan and knew that Drew was looking forward to him coming home.

"Supposed to?" Evan questioned.

"Yeah. His leave was extended to another six weeks. I guess they can't afford to let anyone go right now." Drew said bitterly.

"At least he will be home in time for Christmas." Evan said.

"But that is another six weeks of waiting, not knowing what is happening." Drew was sounding desperate.

"I know what you mean." I told Drew. "The waiting is unbearable, not knowing if your family is coming back. You would almost rather be there, right in the middle of fighting, just so you know if they are safe." Evan eyed me suspiciously.

"Exactly. How do you know that? As far as I know, no one in your family has been in the military." Drew said.

"You might be surprised." I said. I was mentally yelling at myself. I had let my guard down and slipped.

"Well, are you ever going to tell us?" Evan asked. "We are your friends. You can trust us."

"I know. But you might not believe me." I said. There was no pretending now.

"Try us. We know you have been a fugitive more than once." Drew started to say. "A few years ago you were wanted for kidnapping your mom."

"Hey! I was proven innocent in that!" I said angrily.

"We know, but there are other instances. You blew up two schools, went MIA this summer, and refuse tell us anything. It is just odd." Evan said.

"Whatever." I said. My blood was starting to boil. I had never gotten this angry before in front of my friends. It was almost like when I met…Ares. I spun around and saw Clarisse standing in front of the door. That's when it clicked. My friends wouldn't have confronted me like that without reason. It was because Clarisse was here, making everyone just a bit more touchy than usual.

"Listen. I'm sorry, but I have to go." I said to my friends. I nodded my head slightly in Clarisse direction so she would know to follow me and left to find an empty classroom. I found one down the hallway and waited for Clarisse.

When she entered, I crossed my arms.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"Nice to see you too, Prissy." Clarisse said. "I'm here to talk to people." I gave a small snort. In the four years that I have known Clarisse, she has never been the one to talk, more like point and grunt.

"You?" I said, dumbfounded.

"Yes, me!" She snapped. "The gods have asked all satyrs and demigods who are willing to, to go to schools and answer question mortals have. I, unlike you, don't have a death wish against the gods. I will do what they say." I blinked at her. She seemed more on edge than normal.

"Alright then. Did something happen?" Her eyes moved nervously from side to side and she went to grab the sword at her side.

"Have you seen anything…unusual?" She asked. My thoughts went to that day with the Fox and the Dog. Did she mean that? What was going on?

"Define unusual." I said.

"Like not normal. Things that shouldn't be happening!"

"Besides Hestia fading?" I said. "Yes. There was one thing that happened. There was a Fox and Dog, they should be in the stars, but I found them hunting each other." Clarisse closed her eyes and muttered in ancient Greek, a saying for warding off evil.

"That has been happening a lot recently, things that shouldn't be happening." My mind was trying to figure it out, but I couldn't piece it all together. I needed Annabeth to figure it out.

"Has Rachel said anything about it?" I asked. Rachel was our resident Oracle. Currently she was at a boarding school her father wanted her to go to,but I figured Chiron would have given her a call when weird things started happening.

"No. I mean, we asked her, but she said she couldn't see anything, like the future was blocked."

"Okay. Not good." This was one of our longest conversations we had had without trying to kill one another. "I have to get to class. Try not to blow my cover while you are here." She smirked.

"Still haven't told your friends? Don't worry. I won't tell them." She said, in a serious voice for once.

"Thanks." I said stopping in the doorway. I turned back to face Clarisse. "Don't get yourself killed. Because if you do, I know I will be blamed for some reason." She gave a ghost of a smile before waving me to leave.

**A/N: So it was really short. Sorry about that. And it isn't edited. If there are any mistakes, let me know, please. Thanks for all your reviews. They make me really happy when I read them. Have a happy holiday. **


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